The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.

Andrew Bacevich


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

War News for Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Gore Vidal, chronicler of American life and politics, dies


Reported security incidents
#1: Four anti-government militants were killed as NATO-led forces aircraft targeted them while they were planting mines on a road in Wardak province 35 km west of Afghan capital Kabul Tuesday night, provincial administration said in a statement on Wednesday. "Five insurgents were busy in planting mines on a road in Nurkh district, Wardak province Tuesday night when the NATO-led forces reconnaissance discovered and conducted air raid killing four on the spot and injuring another," the statement added.

#2: Four mine planters were killed by police forces in Ghorak district of Kandahar province. Jaweed Faizal spokesman of Kandahar governor said to BNA, these militias wanted to place a mine in the vicinities of Ghorak district were identified by police and killed.

#3: Meanwhile, in a clash between police and Taliban in Kandahar province, three armed Taliban were killed. This clash occurred between police and Taliban when Taliban attacked on a police post in Sangi area, Ghorak district.

#4: Four Afghan civilians were killed by the militants in the eastern province of Wardak, a provincial government spokesman said Wednesday. "A total of four civilians were kidnapped by militants Tuesday evening from Mullah Khil area of Jalrez district and their bullet- riddle bodies were found in Salman-e-Fars area of the district Wednesday morning," spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told Xinhua. The motive behind the killing is not clear so far, he said, adding that the police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Posted by whisker at 4:34 AM

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